John Ross Me.” the Rosses Married in 1983
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February 2018Serving Active Seniors in Northeast Kansas since 2001 Vol. 17, No. 8 INSIDE ENIO profile KEVIN GROENHAGEN PHOTO KEVIN GROENHAGEN S R The Winter 2018 issue of JAAA’s Amazing Aging is included in this month’s Senior Monthly. See inside. Business Card Directory ....26,27 Calendar ..................................20 Goren on Bridge .....................36 Health & Wellness.............16, 17 Humor ......................................32 Jay’s Musical Memories .........31 Jill on Money ...........................19 Mayo Clinic .............................18 Memories Are Forever ...........35 My Answer ..............................38 My Pet World ...........................34 Puzzles and Games ................37 Rick Steves’ Europe ...............30 Wolfgang Puck’s Kitchen ........33 Permit No. 19 No. Permit Lawrence, KS Lawrence, PAID U.S. Postage U.S. PRSRT STD PRSRT THE Art OFLiving Legend Senior Living KAW VALLEY SENIOR MONTHLY February 2018 • 3 LMH oncology alumnus cancer-free decade after diagnosis By Kevin Groenhagen when the 1-7 KU and 0-8 K-State met in Manhattan in 1987, the game was he students at the University of dubbed the “Toilet Bowl.” That game TKansas have a tradition in which, ended in a tie and both teams went on PHOTO COURTESY after their football team wins a big to lose their last two games. game, they tear down the goalposts, But then something happened that carry them up Campanile Hill, and changed John’s mind. toss them into Potter Lake. Some are “KU came back to beat K-State growing weary of the tradition. In fact, 27-24,” John said. “The students rushed a majority of the students stayed in the the fi eld, pulled down the goalposts, stands and booed as other students tore hauled them off, and dumped them in down the goalposts after KU defeated Potter Lake. I was hooked on KU foot- Kansas State University in 2006. ball from that time. If fans were going Love it or hate it, if not for this tra- to get this geeked out about beating an dition, John and Cathy Ross might not intrastate rival, I was sold.” have moved to Lawrence. The Rosses were also sold on Law- The Rosses were visiting Law- rence and moved to the city in Decem- rence and watching KU play K-State ber of 1990. on October 27, 1990. John admits he For John, Lawrence was an unlikely wasn’t initially impressed. He had gone choice to call home. Born and raised John and Cathy Ross to the University of Tennessee, whose in Tennessee through his junior high John then entered the Navy and Vietnam War,” John said. “The Inchon Neyland Stadium has a seating capacity years, he later graduated from high became an electronic warfare techni- looks like a small aircraft carrier. It’s a of more than 100,000. In 2001, a poll school in Westland, Michigan. He then cian. helicopter troop carrier capable of car- in The Sporting News ranked Neyland spent a year working for Fisher Body, “We were conducting minesweep- rying 10 helicopters and a contingent Stadium as the nation’s #1 college foot- where he spray-painted Novas and ing operations on the USS Inchon in of 500 Marines. ball stadium. Also, neither team was Omegas. Haiphong Harbor at the tail end of the CONTINUED ON PAGE FOUR exactly a football powerhouse during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In fact, Kaw Valley SeniorMonthly Kevin L. Groenhagen Editor and Publisher Kaw Valley Senior Monthly is published monthly by Groenhagen Advertising, L.L.C., Lawrence, Kansas, and is distributed at over 160 locations throughout the Lawrence- Topeka area. Any opinions expressed by our writers are not necessarily those of Groenhagen Advertising, L.L.C. Subscription rate is $8.50 for 12 monthly issues. Contact us: MAIL 2612 Cranley St. Lawrence, KS 66046 PHONE / TEXT 785-841-9417 E-MAIL kevin@seniormonthly.net Senior Monthly is locally owned and operated. 4 • February 2018 KAW VALLEY SENIOR MONTHLY months later, she moved to Houston. Twenty years later, her mother forgave John Ross me.” The Rosses married in 1983. John Cooper's CONTINUED FROM PAGE THREE Cooper's continued to work for AT&T, while “When I got out of the Navy, I Cathy returned to working in real decided to take advantage of the GI estate in Houston. The couple then Home Care Bill and went to the University of Ten- moved to Dallas after John accepted Home Care nessee,” John continued. “While I was an offer for a new technical position there, I worked on concert promotions overseeing computerized reservation "An Alternative to with the Campus Entertainment Board. processing. Nursing Home Placement" We did everyone from the rock group “I worked for a company called Com- Boston to Elvis. We’d do shows from pass Computer Services Inc., which Newly Remodeled and Renovated! 100 people to 15,000 people. That was was jointly owned by Hilton Hotels Ready for Admissions! a lot of fun.” and Budget rent-a-car,” John said. “Car In fact, John was having so much fun rental reservations took three days to doing promotions that he put his stud- confi rm during the early 1980s. By the Respite Care ies on hold. time I left, our team had reduced that to Give yourself a break while assuring your loved “I picked up a full-time gig as a three seconds.” one short- or long-term quality care. campus rep for a company called Col- While in Dallas, the Ross family lege Marketing and Research,” he said. grew to include a daughter, Libby, and Ask About “I moved to Chicago. We did special a son, Weller. Lillian NEW ADMISSIONS DISCOUNT events and promotions on college Through his work at Compass Com- Cooper Available for a limited time. Call for details. campuses. That led to a position with puter Services, Hertz made John a a company called Multi-Marketing. job offer. He accepted and the family A Holistic Approach to Nursing We put together a 20-campus, national moved to Oklahoma City. Care Providing Individualized, tour that culminated in Daytona Beach “I got the job done there, but I had Specialized service and and Fort Lauderdale over the spring an itch to go back into special events approaches, meeting the physical, social, spiritual, and break period. You had half a million and promotions,” John said. “I went to kids down there. We had Fortune 100 medical needs of our residents in work for a company in St. Louis. We a home-away-from-home-like clients that wanted to reach the 18 to did a lot of shopping mall events. We 2139 PENNSYLVANIA IN LAWRENCE atmosphere. 24 age group. The marketing school did the Rolling Stones’ Steel Wheels of thought at the time was if you could Tour nationwide. But now I had kids. We provide: capture their buying preferences at that When I was doing promotions before, s Assisted Living age, then you’d have them for life.” I was single. The thing about special s Day care John returned to the University of events is you work all the normal hours s Respite Care Tennessee and graduated with a degree that people work, and then you have to s Long-term care in marketing in 1981. work the hours that people don’t work s Critical and hospice care “I moved to Houston, thinking because that’s when they go to the s Diabetic care that a background in electronics and special events. Family meant way too s Care for all types of a degree in business would work much to me.” dementia Staff: well with the oil and gas industry,” The Rolling Stones’ Steel Wheels s On-site eye examinations s Staff to resident ratio is 1:3 John said. “I ended up going to work Tour ended in August of 1990. Four and follow-up care s Home physician and at Southwestern Bell, which later months later, the Rosses were in Law- s Glucose monitoring medical director became AT&T.” rence. s Physical and occupational Whil e at the AT&T training center in “We made the decision to move here, therapists Dallas, John met Cathy Erdman. Cathy not knowing what we would do,” John s LPN, CMAs, CNAs grew up in Topeka and graduated said. “We just knew we wanted to live s24 Hour RN on duty from Emporia State University with a in a community like this.” Staff functions include meal degree in early childhood and elemen- John did know he wanted to do some- preparation and dietary planning, tary education. She taught at Wana- thing that would allow him to spend personal care, ADL's grooming, in-home maker Elementary School in Topeka time with his children. beautician, and routine recreational, social and therapeutic activities. for two years, worked for her family’s “A friend of mine told me about real estate business in Topeka for sev- remanufacturing toner cartridges,” eral years, and then moved to Wichita John said. “I ended up taking some Cooper's Home Care to work as an account executive with money out of savings and Cathy and "An Alternative to Learnard Southwestern Bell. I attended three days of training. We Pennsylvania Nursing Home Placement" 22nd Terr “It was love at fi rst sight,” John said. came back to Lawrence and started Massachusetts “But Cathy told me I was a ‘G.U.D.’— calling on businesses. 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